Germany’s early exit from the World Cup is also bad news off the pitch as the nation’s football body DFB expects a deficit of close to €10 million ($11.4 million) from the tournament and additional payments after the exit of coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“The deficit is projected to be €9.4 million, although for accounting reasons we will not be able to give the final figure until the autumn,” DFB treasurer Stephan Grunwald told Monday’s edition of Kicker sports magazine.
“We would only have moved into the black if we’d reached the final.”
The DFB had planned the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada in a conservative way. That included bonus payments for players only from the round of 16 onwards.
Germany went out in the round of 32, an early exit on which Grunwald said his plan was based as well.
“It is my duty to plan in such a way that nobody has to panic in a bad scenario,” he said.
Grunwald confirmed that the budget does not include severance payments for Nagelsmann, who had a contract until 2028, and his coaching staff or a possible fee the DFB have to pay Jürgen Klopp’s employer Red Bull in order to get him as new Germany coach.
Kicker said that the severance payments will amount to €6.8 million.
“Our projections following the summer break will show what impact the change of coach has had,” Grunwald said.
He however added that the overall DFB budget is designed to be balanced, “as we within the association have the option to scale back or adjust projects as required”.
About the Author
